


Loving Someone

by roseglove



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-10 00:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11115951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseglove/pseuds/roseglove
Summary: In which Nancy Wheeler's best friend is 90% gay and 10% scared for his life





	1. Preface

Dylan Holliday never felt like he was different from anyone else, in the ways that mattered.

He played sports with boys, and studied hard, and helped out at home. He had a job at the local hardware store, and was just like any other guy his age.

Except he wasn't, was he?

Dylan Holliday had a secret that he had been hiding for months. It had been months since he'd come to a final realization. There was no more hiding. No more running from the facts.

_"I'm gay."_

The first time Dylan had uttered those words aloud was on a sunny day during the summer. The house was silent. He had made sure his parents were out of the house.

Looking his mirror image dead in the eyes, he took the biggest step he ever would.

And when the words let his mouth, he felt... relieved.

The boy finally felt as if something was right. Those two words, those two, very insignificant little words, uttered aloud, had made a world of difference.

But though the teen had come to the conclusion that he had a thing for boys, he was terrified, as well.

It was the 1980s, and he lived in a small town. The thoughts of homosexuality were hushed. Candles blew out before the wicks touched flame.

 _Gay_ was a forbidden word. _The gays_ were forbidden people.

And yet, here Dylan Holliday was, as straight as a circle, telling Nancy Wheeler, his best friend, about his forbidden secret.

Heart beating so fast, so loud, Dylan was sure that Australia could hear it, he opened his mouth, and, mustering up all the courage that he could possibly muster, he let two very, very important words out.

_"I'm gay."_

Nancy froze. So did Dylan. Time seemed to come to a screeching halt in the Wheeler household. Birds held their breath, the sun leaning in from outside the window to hear the response.

The pair had been studying for a Spanish test they had the next day, and throwing bits of gossip to the other every once in a while. This was not their usual gossip.

Time standing still, Nancy looked up from her flash cards, staring the trembling boy in the eyes, her small frame the most terrifying thing that Dylan had faced in a good while.

As the birds watched from outside the window, the spider living on the corner of the house peering in to hear the response first, Nancy Wheeler opened her mouth, and spoke.

"Are-are you sure?"

Enters watering, heart pounding faster than it ever had been before, he nodded. His vocal chords weren't working. They were paralyzed with fright. As was most of his body, actually.

Nancy could see the terror in her best friend's eyes, the terror of being called a sin. A fag. Something other than what he was. Her best friend.

The boy who, on the first day of kindergarten, had smiled so brightly at Nancy that she found the strength to let go of her mother's hand and join him on the playground.

The one who kept her awake during the boring school-wife assemblies.

The boy who was there for her, always.

The boy who had no fears, and accepted Nancy for all of hers.

And in that moment, Nancy Wheeler made a silent pact with herself.

She, Nancy Wheeler, would never let the Holliday boy feel anything less than he deserved: all the love in the world.

And so, time frozen, animals watching, Nancy threw her arms around her best friend, hugging him so tightly she feared she might break the boy who had become as delicate as porcelain, and whispered seven words into his ear.

_"I love you just as you are."_

And that was all Dylan needed to hear. He needed to know that he was loved. That he was accepted. That someone would be there for him.

And he knew that Nancy Wheeler always would be.

Hugging each other as though fearing it was their last moment together, Dylan let out all the teats he had been holding in for as long as he could remember. He cried until it hurt, until he couldn't remember his own name, and Nancy clung to him, scared that if she let go for even an instant, the boy she loved would break. Would fall to the floor, porcelain skin shattering.

After what seemed hours of time clinging to each other, both crying their own tears of relief and love, the two broke the embrace, looking each other in the eye.

"I love you, Dylan Holliday, and will be here for you through everything. Forever and ever and ever."

Tears still running down the boy's face, he smiled wider than he ever had before.

_"Thank you."_

The pair stayed like that for a while, just sitting on the pink bed, loving each other so much, so completely, they swore the house expanded.

Nancy was the first to break the silence.

"Have you told anyone else?"

The boy shook his head, hair falling in his eyes.

And at that moment, three pairs of feet were heard scurrying up the stairs of the Wheeler household, stopping in front of Nancy's door, and opening it.

Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas stood on the other side of the door, looking worried.

"We came up from the basement to have a snack and we heard crying. And then silence." Dustin panted.

"We thought you were dead!" Will added.

"But we're glad you're not." Lucas clarified.

"Is everything... alright?" Mike asked, noticing both Nancy and Dylan's tear stained faces.

"Yeah, what happened?" Will asked, worried that something terrible had happened while they were downstairs playing dungeons and dragons.

Nancy looked at the three boys, terror evident across her face. She didn't know what to say.

But Dylan did.

He knew that the boy's would be completely accepting. He had known Nancy would be, too. And suddenly, he wasn't scared anymore.

After he had told Nancy, he felt the biggest sense of relief wash over him, and loved it.

So, for the second time that day, he took a big step in his life.

"I'm gay."

The words left Dylan's mouth before he even realized that he had said anything.

The boys' eves widened, and so did Nancy's.

And then the four boys rushed forwards, engulfing Dylan in a giant hug.

And for the second time that day, Dylan cried.

"Awee, why are you crying? It's not a bad thing!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Yeah! It's a good thing!" Mike agreed.

"They're happy tears, guys, don't worry." Dylan reassured the boys, wiping the moisture from his face.

After the boy's swore on their favourite comics that they would tell no one, not a soul, they went on their way, back to their lair to defeat more goblins and save more damsels in distress.

Turning back to Nancy, Dylan grinned.

"That felt incredible."


	2. Chapter 1

Steve Harrington was, by all standards, a very attractive boy, and nobody could deny that. Whether you were attracted to him or not, you most definitely could see that Steve Harrington was handsome.

And Dylan Holliday was no exception.

His crush on him was based purely on his physical appearance, but Dylan hoped that soon, he would be able to say that he liked him or who he was. 

The only problem was, he had no idea who Steve Harrington really was. To Dylan, he was just a pretty thing to look at, like the Mona Lisa, or a sculpture by Michelangelo. Something to admire, but not touch.

But with his best friend being a link between the two boys, he hoped he'd be able to change that very, very soon.

Nancy and Steve had been partnered for an English project, and a friendship had bloomed between the two.

A purely platonic relationship, Nancy swore up and down. And though Barb was skeptical, she accepted it.

That was another thing going on in Dylan's life. Barb.

He had recently come out to her. He knew that some reactions wouldn't be the best, but Barb, of all people?

She had promised not to tell anyone, but had also told him that she just didn't think she could be friends with a person like him. A person who she had known all her life, and hadn't changed a bit, at least, that's what Dylan thought. It was obvious that Barb did not.

She had separated herself from Dylan, but remained close to Nancy, which Dylan was thankful for. Although she wasn't accepting of him, he was glad that he hadn't driven a wedge in Nancy and Barb's relationship.

Coming out was hard, as Dyan had learned, and not everyone is so accepting. Even family.

Dylan had made the decision to tell his parents about his sexual orientation, and while his mother was fully supportive, his father was not.

Bob Holliday had packed his bags, leaving for California, or Las Vegas, or some other hot area, proclaiming that he "refused to have a fag as a son."

And there was that word again. _**Fag**_. An ugly work in all senses. Dylan hated that work with all his heart.

But although his father had left, his mother had stayed. Julia Holliday, nee Roberts, was a kind woman with a heart of gold, as everyone would agree. There was nothing not to like about the woman. Except, of course, her son.

⇞

At the moment, our hero, if you could call him that, was waiting at the door of his spanish class, which he shared with Steve Harrington, a fact he was most grateful for.

The taller boy walked up to Dylan, smiling at him kindly.

"Hey, so I was talking to Nancy about a small get-together that I'm having, ot many people. Just me, my friends, Nancy, Barb, and... you? If you want to come, of course."

The words came out so casually, Dylan was shocked that Steve was speaking to him like that. Like they had hung out before. Which they hadn't.

"Yeah, sure. When is it?" Dylan replied, trying to keep the same casual tone as Steve.

"Tonight. If you can come."

Dylan smiled, and nodded his head, hair moving in front of his eyes with the motion, which he pushed away, out of his brow.

The bell rang, and the students filed into the classroom, taking their designated seats.

While most of the students in the class were learning Spanish, Dylan Holliday had his head up in the clouds, dreaming of the night to follow, and hoping beyond hope that he could establish some sort of connection to the taller boy, who had left Dylan a little ruffled, to say the least.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to remind you, reader, that while these five are completely accepting of Dylan and who he is, others will not be. It is the 80s, and I would like it to be realistic.
> 
> If you do not like how I portray some of the characters, take it elsewhere. Read another fan fiction.
> 
> Some characters you may love will be portrayed as being homophobic, which I will not take away.
> 
> If you are triggered by homophobic behaviour and hateful language, please turn away now. This book will contain those subjects, and I want you to stay safe.


End file.
